Preparing for the weeklong winter caboodle

MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) -

The next few days of weather include sleet, snow, rain and everything in between.

Mankato Police Commander Justin Neumann says slowing down on the road is one of the biggest ways to keep safe. “I mean the thing we hear from a lot of people is just it just took more time to get somewhere with you know, with travel impacts. so just you know slowing down being aware of what’s a priority in terms of your schedule and and making ultimate arrangements if necessary”

Neumann also stresses the importance of keeping your car windows clear of snow and ice. “We have a lot of crashes simply because there was a blind spot because someone couldn’t see that there was another vehicle... because there was snow and ice in their window. So take the time to scrape your windows and warm up the car and realize that there are a lot of other factors in play during that significant winter weather that you don’t deal with on a nice July day.”

Joe Grabianowski with Mankato Public Works ensures the plows too are ready for action “You know, we monitor the roads. we watch all the weather stations, all the channels, the websites all that and so we watch when the temps drop and when it’s going to turn to snow. so basically whenever it turns to snow or ice, we go right away.”

Because of forecasted rain, they’re unable to pre-treat the roads-- since it will just wash off before the big freeze.